Course description

The course on Sociology, which is one of the mandatory social disciplines in higher educational curricula in the Republic of Kazakhstan, offers students knowledge on the subject, methodology and methods of this discipline, theories and concepts of Sociology. It examines specific rules of social interaction and development of society, various approaches in cognition of social reality, general and specific problems of society and social relations, and main trends in the development of sociological thought, as well as main fields of Sociology. It also shows how Sociology incorporates knowledge of other branches of social sciences, such as Philosophy, History, Psychology, History, Anthropology etc., but exposes specific sociological outlook based on ‘sociological imagination’. Students will learn how Sociology is developing in close interaction with other fields of social sciences and humanities investigating various aspects of formation, functioning and development of human society and individuals, particularities of social relations and social process.

Aim of the course. The course “Sociology” aims at examining social life and social reality in its diversity through addressing main categories, concepts and theories relating to how human society functions and develops. It describes social processes and social relations based on knowledge accumulated by sociologists over the last centuries. The course will help students to analyze and evaluate complex social phenomena and processes occurring in their own society and communities in particular and in the world as a whole and use the knowledge gained in their future professional life.

Students taking the course ‘Sociology’ must:

- have a scientific understanding of sociological approach to the analysis of society, nature of emergence of social communities and groups, types of social processes and main directions of their development;

- know typology and main conditions of emergence and development of social movements, factors of social development, forms of social interaction and develop skills of analyzing them;

- know sociological approach to personality, forms, directions and particularities of socialization, main laws and forms of regulation of social behavior;

- get to know methodology and methods of sociological research and be able to apply the knowledge gained in the course to practical issues of everyday life;

- work out sociological outlook at social life and social processes.

Tasks of the course. The formulated aim of the course is to be gained through the following tasks:

- Systematic description of main categories, concepts and theories existing in Sociology and discussion of specific concerns and particular issues;

- Analysis and evaluation of social reality applying concepts and theories existing in Sociology;

- Developing sociological imagination of the students equipping them with academic knowledge and providing them with academic methods and technologies of analysis of social reality.

Pre-requisites: secondary school program.

Post-requisites: Philosophy, Political science.